Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), previously known as NSW Fire Brigades (NSWFB), is a statutory agency of the New South Wales Government and the primary provider of fire and rescue services in New South Wales, Australia. FRNSW is responsible for fire suppression, rescue operations and hazardous materials response in the major cities, metropolitan areas and regional centres throughout the state. It is the fourth-largest urban fire service in the world, with over 6,800 firefighters serving at 335 fire stations, supported by 465 administrative and trades staff and 5,700 community fire unit volunteers. FRNSW are the busiest fire service in Australia, attending over 124,000 incidents per year.
The service operates under the Fire and Rescue Act 1989. The organisation has a substantial history dating back well over 100 years to the establishment of Metropolitan Fire Brigade in 1884, and the New South Wales Fire Brigades in 1910. The organisation is led by the Commissioner of Fire and Rescue NSW, Jeremy Fewtrell, appointed on the 30th of October, 2023.
History Early firefighting efforts in New South Wales were made up of a number of small insurance and volunteer based fire brigades located predominantly around central Sydney. Following a series of major fires, most notably the Garden Palace Fire in 1882, firefighting in Sydney was formalised into one organisation on 14 February 1884, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB). The MFB initially operated out of the former Insurance Brigade Headquarters on Bathurst Street, but soon began to seek new locations for expansion. The first station opened by the MFB was No. 3 Stanmore (initially known as Marrickville) in 1886. This was soon followed by the construction of their new Headquarters on Castlereagh Street (No. 1 Station) in 1888, which remains New South Wales' oldest operational fire station to this day.
In 1910, the Fire Brigades Act was extended to cover not just Sydney but the entire state of New South Wales. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade as a result became the New South Wales Fire Brigades (NSWFB). The organisation continued to grow, with many towns across the state seeking to establish permanent fire services often after major fires of their own. The NSWFB's expansion continued through the early 20th century. The Brigades soon became responsible for hundreds of stations and thousands of firefighters even despite significant post-war cuts in 1945. Through the mid to late 20th century, NSWFB firefighters faced some of the most dangerous and deadly emergencies in the state's history, including the 1979 Luna Park Ghost Train Fire, the 1977 Granville Rail Disaster, the 1981 Sylvania Heights Nursing Home Fire, the 1981 Rembrandt Hostel Fire, the 1989 Downunder Hostel Fire and the 1989 Newcastle Earthquake, along with countless major bushfire emergencies including the 1968, 1974/75, 1979 and 1980 bushfire seasons.
The 1990s and early 2000s saw significant changes in the NSWFB and in firefighting as a whole. Development in training and equipment saw the more widespread use of Breathing Apparatus and Thermal Imaging Cameras, along with improved Personal Protective Equipment and more modern appliances. In 1991, NSWFB took over primary rescue response from the NSW Police in a number of areas in Sydney. This saw a shift in the brigade, as they began to increase their capabilities in technical and specialist rescue. This period also saw a number of major emergencies across the state, including the 1991 Palm Grove Hostel Fire, the 1994 Bushfires, the 1995 Speed Street Fire, the 1997 Thredbo Landslide, the 1997 Bushfires, the 1999 Glenbrook Train Derailment, the 1999 Sydney Hailstorm, the 2001 Bushfires, the 2002/03 Bushfires, the 2003 Waterfall rail accident and the 2006 Bushfires.
In 2011, following the brigade taking over primary rescue services from NSW Ambulance in Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the New South Wales Fire Brigades was renamed Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), to better reflect its increasing rescue responsibilities. There was also a focus on further development of Personal Protective Equipment. New protective clothing featured a Nomex and Kevlar blend called Titan, combined with an inner moisture barrier to prevent steam burns in 2013. New MSA and Pac Fire Firefighting and General Purpose Helmets were introduced in 2015, MSA Breathing Apparatus sets in 2017, flash hoods and firefighting gloves in 2018. In 2016, FRNSW rolled out Mobile Data Terminals to every station to improve firefighter access to information including resources, call details, advanced maps, weather radars and data sheets.
In 2016, FRNSW relocated their Headquarters to a brand new building at Greenacre, which serves as a modern workspace for both operational and administrative staff. This was followed in 2018 by the construction of the new Emergency Services Academy in Orchard Hills, which provides firefighters with a modern practical learning environment to maintain and improve safety and skills. In 2018, FRNSW rolled out the ‘Plus Plan’, an organisational strategy to develop an internal model for success and community education with an emphasis on these new roles and technologies.The Plus Plan delivered many new initiatives to update and modernise the organisation including: Community Education on the wider role of FRNSW including fire + rescue + hazmat + natural disaster and humanitarian response + counter terrorism + protecting the environment + medical response + prevention and education. It also brought in the huge update of technology and safety with the “connected firefighter program” the carcinogen exposure reduction program including implementation of the worlds first ppe exchange laundering service using the “pizza box” system. It also drew funding to replace the entire bushfire tanker fleet following the Black Christmas bushfire crisis and also the achievement of funding to upgrade the aerial firefighting fleet including the introduction of the new 45 metre Bronto platforms and 11 new state of the art aerial pumpers. It also sought and achieved funding to greatly enhance the organisation’s water rescue capability in response to flooding emergency the state experienced in 2021/22. The Plus Plan also introduced a comprehensive program to create a more inclusive and diverse workplace and increased mental health resilience programs and internal support capability for mental health support to frontline crews with the introduction of its own clinical psychologists. It also added to the newly opened training academy by introducing new simulation technology, realistic interior fire training including multi-story training resources, an urban search and rescue scenario based facility and a large scale logistics and deployment centre. It also saw a huge investment in RPAS, or drones, with greatly increased capabilities in fire, rescue, hazmat and mapping support rolled out across the state. FRNSW have been working to incorporate further new technologies into their fleet, including the development of their two high tech Mobile Command Centres as part of the connected firefighter program., the incorporation of Compressed Air Foam Systems into their appliances, the implementation of a remote Turbine Assisted Firefighting Unit, the development of the Hytrans Bulk Water Transfer System, and the development of Remote Piloted Aircraft systems.
Emblem The Fire and Rescue NSW emblem includes the NSW state emblem with the State motto Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites, which is Latin for 'Newly Risen How Brightly We Shine'.
A flag based on the British Blue Ensign with the FRNSW emblem is the official pennant.
Ranks Firefighters Rank Commissioner Deputy Commissioner Assistant Commissioner Chief Superintendent Superintendent InspectorLeading Station Officer Station Officer Leading Firefighter Senior Firefighter15 years service Senior Firefighter Qualified FirefighterFirefighter Level 2 (Probationary)Firefighter Level 1 (Probationary) Recruit Insignia No Epaulettes (Number 2 displayed on sides of helmet)No Epaulettes (Number 1 displayed on sides of helmet)
Retained firefighters Rank Retained Captain Retained Deputy Captain Retained Firefighter15 years service Retained Firefighter10 years service Retained Firefighter5 years serviceRetained FirefighterRecruit Insignia No InsigniaBoth Recruit and Student epaulettes used
Commissioner The Commissioner's official vehicle bears number plate 10, which has been on continuous issue to the head of the fire department from Transport for NSW and its predecessors since 1910.
Jeremy Fewtrell was appointed Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner on the 30th of October 2023. He previously served as Deputy Commissioner.
NameTitleTerm startTerm endTime in officeNotesVice Admiral Ian MacDougall Commissioner 10 June 1994 4 July 2003 Greg Mullins 4 July 2003 6 January 2017 Paul Baxter 16 January 2017 17 July 2023Jeremy Fewtrell 30 October 2023Present
Organisation
Staffing
Fire and Rescue NSW operate two levels of staffing, permanent and retained. Permanent firefighters are full-time career crews who work predominantly 24 hour shifts. Each permanent station is made up of four platoons, A B C & D. Each station is assigned a minimum of one Pumper with a crew of 4 firefighters and a station officer per shift. Some multi appliance stations such as City of Sydney can have as many as 20 firefighters on a platoon. Permanent stations are typically located in metropolitan areas (Such as Sydney and Newcastle) and regional centres (Such as Lismore and Dubbo).
Retained firefighters are part-time on call crews, who are notified by pager and travel to the fire station from home or work when an emergency occurs. Retained firefighters are predominantly located in outer metropolitan and regional areas. Retained firefighters operate off an availability roster, where each firefighter has to give their available hours for the day/week. This system ensures that there is always a minimum safe crew of four retained firefighters available to turnout at any given time. A number of stations, particularly in regional areas, have a mix of both permanent and retained crews, who work together and often provide backup for one another.
Zones
Stations in New South Wales are organised geographically, often by region, into zones which are spread around the state. A zone consists of between 10 and 20 stations. Every station is staffed by a platoon. The platoon of every station is run by a Duty Commander, who not only manages the platoon but responds operationally as a commander to emergencies within the zone. Each zone then has an overall Zone Commander, who manages on a zone based level. Three zones then make up an area, which is managed by an Area Commander. In New South Wales there are 21 zones which form 7 areas.
The 7 areas are split between metropolitan and regional. The Metro Areas report to the Assistant Commissioner of Metropolitan Operations, whilst the Regional Areas report to the Assistant Commissioner of Regional Operations. Both of these officers then report to the Deputy Commissioner of Field Operations, who in turn reports to the Commissioner. This tiered system means that management can be tailored at each level to suit local operational needs.
Specialist Sections
Fire and Rescue NSW operate a number of specialist operational and support sections including;
Operational Communications – Responsible for Triple Zero call taking, dispatch and emergency communications, operating out of two Communications Centres at Alexandria and Newcastle.
Fire Investigation and Research – Responsible for investigating the cause and origin of fires (including the operation of Australia's first accelerant detection dogs), as well as research into fire behaviour and fire dynamics, who operate out of their base at Greenacre and their research centre at Londonderry.